Kerosene for all ration card holders at Mumbai fuel pumps

MUMBAI: Amid the ongoing global energy crisis and rising concern over cooking fuel supplies, the state govt announced that kerosene will soon be made available to the public at Indian Oil, BPCL and HPCL petrol pumps across Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Food, civil supplies and consumer protection minister Chhagan Bhujbal said the decision was taken after a meeting with senior officials of IOCL, BPCL and HPCL on Monday. The plan is also expected to be extended across the state to ease pressure on households affected by the recent LPG crunch and rising fuel costs.

A senior official said kerosene will be made available to all ration card holders, not just those below the poverty line. Officials said the state will receive an initial quota of 3,750 kilolitres of kerosene, which will be distributed through fair-price shops to ration card holders.

The state will first have to identify wholesalers who will lift the kerosene from oil companies. "Distributing kerosene through fair-price shops was an old scheme which shut 7-8 years ago. We will have to begin the supply and then see what the demand is," said an official.

Bhujbal said the Centre assured the state there are adequate stocks of LPG and PNG, and that LPG production increased from 9,000 metric tonnes to 11,000 metric tonnes. He added that while domestic LPG supply remains a priority, the govt is also ensuring that essential sectors receive commercial LPG cylinders.

He said there was "no need to panic" as the state remained in constant touch with the Centre and oil companies. He said every district is being monitored by the local collector and superintendent of police to prevent hoarding, diversion and black marketing.

The minister also indicated that citizens who were earlier excluded from kerosene access after being covered under the Ujjwala subsidy scheme may now be considered again, given the circumstances. The move comes at a time when households are also grappling with a rise in edible oil prices, such as an increase in groundnut and palm oil, adding to the burden of kitchen expenses, he said.

Bhujbal said enforcement teams intensified action against black marketing. So far, squads seized 1,208 cylinders from the black market, filed 23 cases and arrested 18 persons.

In the Legislative Council, BJP MLC Parinay Phuke raised concerns over the sharp rise in LPG prices. He also pointed to a surge in demand for induction cooktops, alleging some sellers increased prices, and urged the state govt to act against profiteering.

The issue of e-KYC also triggered panic, with many fearing cylinder supply would stop after April 1. Dealers clarified cylinders will not be denied to consumers, and e-KYC is required only to avail subsidy benefits in the new fiscal.